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Oprah Winfrey miss out on some appearances after a stomach illness landed the media mogul in the emergency room.
Oprah’s bestie, Gayle King, 69, revealed that Winfrey, 70, had been hospitalized with a stomach virus and dehydration during CBS Mornings on Tuesday, June 11. Later that day King decided to FaceTime Winfrey to help set the record straight. King shared the news about Winfrey’s health as she addressed her absence from a scheduled appearance on the morning show to reveal her latest book club pick — Familiaris by David Wroblewski.
“I won’t get too graphic. Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydration, had to get an IV,” King said, calling it “a very serious thing” and that her friend needed to rest.
“She will be okay. I hope she’s not mad at me for sharing that detail,” King told viewers. “But I wanted to make it clear, though, that it mattered to her and that it really bothered her that she couldn’t be here for you today.”
Norovirus, the highly contagious stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhea, is still spreading in the United States. Outbreaks surged this winter after the holidays, but cases of the nasty virus are spiking in parts of the country.
Respiratory virus season may winding down as the U.S. enters spring, but the 2023–2024 norovirus season is still underway. Nationally, norovirus is circulating at the highest levels since last April, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
After sweeping the Northeast earlier this year, norovirus is now surging in the Midwest and other regions, sickening thousands. Norovirus, commonly called the “stomach flu” or “food poisoning,” has also caused multiple outbreaks on cruise ships this year.
Norovirus spreads easily among people in enclosed settings and tends to peak in the cooler winter months. As thousands of Americans travel this month for spring break and Easter, U.S. health officials are urging people to take steps to stop the spread.
Although norovirus is often referred to as the “stomach flu,” it is not related to the flu, which is caused by influenza viruses.
Norovirus is a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis, or an inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestines, per the CDC. This can result in intense bouts of vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps.
Symptoms usually begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure — these are often sudden and very unpleasant, but most people will recover on their own.
“This is the dreaded virus that leaves us in the bathroom for about a day or two, we’ve all been there,” NBC News medical contributor Dr. Tara Narula said on TODAY in a segment.
Norovirus is highly contagious, and anyone can become infected. Every year in the U.S., it causes about 20 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea, 465,000 emergency room visits, 109,000 hospitalizations and 900 deaths, per the CDC.
Although norovirus can spread year-round, outbreaks are most common during the late fall, winter and early spring. As of late March, norovirus cases are still climbing in the U.S.
According to the latest data from laboratories across the country reporting to the CDC, the rate of norovirus tests coming back positive, averaged over three weeks, was nearly 14% as of Apr. 11 — up from about 9% in mid-January.
Outbreaks have also been rising steadily in recent months. During Aug. 1, 2023 to April 9, 2024, there were 1,208 norovirus outbreaks reported by the 15 states participating in the CDC’s NoroSTAT surveillance program. During the same period the last seasonal year, 986 norovirus outbreaks were reported by these states.
In a clip shared on Instagram, King spoke virtually with the talk show host veteran and confirmed that she was not in the hospital.
“I never said you were hospitalized, I did say that you had a stomach something, was coming out of both sides, which it was,” said King in the video.
“I was in the emergency room, I was so dehydrated,” responded Winfrey. “I had a dry mouth and I couldn’t keep enough water down to get hydrated, so I went to the emergency room for that, and that’s just it.”
Winfrey then shared that she’s “not 100 [percent], I’m on my way to 100,” adding that five people in her household had also fallen ill with the same virus.
A spokesperson for Winfrey told PEOPLE, “Ms. Winfrey is recovering following a stomach virus and received an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor,” adding: “She is resting and feeling better every day.”
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